Rep. Calvert Votes to Block Obama's Unconstitutional Executive Amnesty Plan

Press Release

Today, Congressman Ken Calvert (CA-42) voted along with a majority (236-191) of the House to approve the Fiscal Year 2015 Homeland Security Appropriations bill as well as amendments to the bill that will prevent the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from carrying out President Obama's executive actions regarding illegal immigration.

"Today, the House sent President Obama a message that his attempt to grant amnesty through unconstitutional executive actions is an affront to the democratic process that has served our nation well for more than two hundred years," said Rep. Calvert. "My constituents want and expect to see the rule of law followed, regardless of who is in office. I have and I will continue to oppose the President's executive overreach at every opportunity."

Rep. Calvert voted for the following amendments to the Homeland Security Appropriations bill which were approved by the House:

Amendment offered by Reps. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.), Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.), and Lou Bartletta (R-Pa.):

The amendment prevents any funds -- whether they are appropriated funds or user fees collected by the agency -- to be used to carry-out the executive actions announced on November 20, 2014 to grant deferred action to an estimated four million unlawful immigrants.

The amendment also defunds the Obama Administration's so-called prosecutorial discretion memos that have gutted immigration enforcement within the United States.

Additionally, it also declares that no funds may be used to carry-out any substantially similar policies to those defunded.

The amendment makes clear that the defunded programs have no statutory or constitutional basis and therefore have no legal effect.

The amendment also defunds the ability of aliens to receive any Federal benefits based on these policies.

Amendment offered by Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.):The amendment provides that no funds -- whether they are appropriated funds or user fees collected by the agency -- may be used to consider new, renewal or previously denied deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA) applications.

Amendment offered by Reps. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) and Martha Roby (R-Ala.):This amendment ensures that sex offenders and domestic violence perpetrators are priorities for removal by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Amendment offered by Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.):This amendment expresses the sense of Congress that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services should stop putting the interests of unlawful immigrants ahead of legal immigrants. Under the President's deferred action programs, legal immigrants playing by the rules and seeking to come to the United States the right way have paid the price for President Obama's executive actions. They've faced longer wait times, even though they have paid the fees to have their applications processed.

Amendment offered by Reps. Matt Salmon (R-Ariz.) and Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.):This amendment expresses the sense of Congress that U.S. workers should not be harmed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' actions. Under President Obama's executive amnesty plan, in many cases businesses now have a $3,000 incentive to hire an unlawful immigrant over a legal worker. Under the Affordable Care Act, many businesses face a $3,000-per-employee penalty if they do not provide health care to their workers. Since unlawful immigrants are not eligible for Obamacare, they will now be more attractive to hire than American workers in many instances.